Georgetown police release sketch of attempted kidnapping suspect

Nearly a month after a 10-year-old girl was allegedly assaulted and almost kidnapped at a bus stop in Georgetown, police released a sketch composite of the suspect.

Police said on Oct. 3, 2016, they received a call from a parent of the child at 4:41 p.m. Monday in the 500 block of Lakeway Boulevard at Primrose Street. The child said an unknown man grabbed her right arm from behind and twisted it behind her back. The man then reportedly wrapped his left leg around her legs in an attempt to knock her to the ground.

Police said the girl was able to fight off her alleged attacker and flee down Lakeway Drive to Williams Drive. The girl said the only words spoken by the suspect were, "If you talk to anyone about this, I'll come get you."

According to police, the man was not seen fleeing in a vehicle.

When the child arrived home she notified her older brother.Holly Justice said her 9-year-old daughter rides the same bus and worries that could have been her.

"It's very scary, of course, both I and my husband had terrible dreams last night because of this,” said Justice.

Justice said she's always considered the neighborhood to be safe.

"Up until yesterday which was a little alarming to hear such a horrific thing and disheartening thing happen to a child,” said Justice.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic man in his 20s, approximately 5-feet 5-inches tall with a slender build, black hair and a mustache. Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 8, police said he was last seen wearing a black polo shirt with black jeans, and there's a possibility he also a tattoo on his left forearm.

Georgetown police say they've stepped up patrols in the area. It's already a high traffic area, which is something Georgetown Police Captain Roland Waits said makes this crime rare.

"It's kind of out of the norm, especially for people at that time 3:40 in the afternoon - for somebody to be so brazen,” said Waits.

He said often times kids can be distracted by friends.

"What we stress to the children is you can still have fun you can still talk, but everybody needs to be paying attention to what's going on around them,” said Waits.

Mary Whiteside lives in the neighborhood and said she does just that. She pays attention to what's going on in the area.

"I think it promotes better safety in the neighborhood, just knowing your neighbors and kind of watching out for one another,” said Whiteside.

That's one of the reasons they hosted a National Night Out gathering at their home Tuesday evening. One thing she plans to discuss is Monday's assault.

"It's very scary and it's another reason why we should get together and get to know each other and know what’s going on in our neighborhood,” said Whiteside.

Now they hope to prevent anything like it from happening in the future.

Police said they checked the area and are actively working to gather evidence and information from witnesses.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Ruben Vasquez at 512-930-6114.

In a letter to parents sent to parents Tuesday afternoon, Georgetown ISD said "GISD staff is working with the police department to provide increased security in the area. We encourage you to remind your child to be aware of their surroundings and never talk to strangers. Students who walk or ride a bus home should walk with friends or in a group if possible."